Customer Reviews:
 Nearly there..... March 26, 2002
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a curious book, one that offers so much, and sadly so nearly delivers but seems to fall short at the final hurdle. Phillip Warner is an excellent writer, as can be seen by his book on Passchendaele, however the account of Loos never really quite gets off the ground.
I was keen to read about a battle that cost so many lives yet has had so little written about it, and although interesting it lacks sufficient detail about the tactical reasons for the fighting. There is very little explanation of why this battle actually happened and what the troops aims were, and even less about its' impact on the rest of 1915.
Three quarters of the book is taken up with personal reflections by troops who fought at Loos, and these are quite superb, indeed, they are the redeeming feature of this book. I felt that a balance should have been struck between historical explanation and personal narrative and sadly this did not quite happen.
I would recommend reading about this little written about battle, but this is not a book that will stick in your memory for the right reasons.
 Rare coverage of this battle, but not a great book July 20, 2000
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a rare examination of the first 'Big Push', at Loos in September 1915. Whilst it includes a good collection of personal stories, it does little justice to the battle. The reasons why this action took place, the unfolding of events and the consequences of failure are barely covered. Worth reading as there is so little on this action, but hardly going to satisfy.
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